


Insvlae: Land of the Dead

by Aeristqr



Category: Original Work
Genre: F/M, Fantasy, Historical Fantasy, Original Character(s), Original Fiction
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-05-28
Updated: 2019-05-28
Packaged: 2020-03-20 16:38:55
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,569
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/18996460
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Aeristqr/pseuds/Aeristqr
Summary: In a world where magic is a myth and countless islands make up their world, how can a small girl named Zephyrine possibly find out more about who she is?





	Insvlae: Land of the Dead

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> The beginning.

The Assassin  
After years in Westphalia, their giant trees of golden bark and leaves of forest green have lost their magnificence. 

I no longer glance at every tree in awe. I am no longer the boy I was when I came to this strange land. Now I am seventeen, the legal age of marriage in this country and I am walking to the city's largest brothel with disgusting ease.

The buildings are unnaturally familiar and the little changes made on the exterior of the passing shops of pale stone: strikingly obvious. I have been down this path too many times, but this is one of the only comforts I have known. The roads are made of copper colored stones that seem to absorb the heat of the sun, seemingly deprived from last night’s rain. The red roses scattered on the sides of the streets glisten with morning dew. The shops seem to just begin to open. It’s too early for anyone in the city to be up and about, anyone but me.

I look common with my hood on my head, more like a typical Seilenese than the hand of the King of Mauritania. But that is for security more than shame, or is it the other way around?

I tell myself that it is not an addiction, that I only come here at my loneliest… which certainly is a lot. What else shall I do? Bring them to the Royal Palace?

Certainly not.

But it is not out of shame, but honor… or both.

I take a hard left and reach my destination. One of the city's more reclusive brothels: The Layflower.

My footsteps echo across the silence of early morning streets. The Layflower stands solitary, the end to a wide alley of the same rich copper stones that would lead to a hospital, a school, or the Royal Palace even. Maybe at its core, they are all the same. They all serve the people, one of them being me.

I heard a faint shuffle, so small you could barely hear it. But I was trained for these things, so I stopped. It seemed to come from the side of the brothel. I guess I am not the only person awake, about in this city.

I heard it again but this time it was a bit louder without the sound of my boots hitting the tile. I shook of my hood, the white light of the sun hit my eyes before it focused on something much darker.

A boy?

A little boy in a long, baggy brown tunic, with short curly hair, staring at me. But that was not what was surprising. The boy, maybe ten years of age, was the darkest he’d ever seen. Nothing like the typical Acirassi servants and shopkeepers he’d seen. And before them, he’d only ever seen people of one color: his own.

The boy’s skin was almost black, stygian even, a stark contrast to my own blindingly pale coloring. His hair was definitely black. Maybe even darker than my own hair. How curious.

The boy then had the sense to scurry off back behind the brothel. Maybe I too was staring?

I shake off the experience and enter the grand building. The stones of this building look more golden than pale, much more warm and inviting. Tan columns lined the veranda and even steps of marble led to the large opening lined with red fabrics.

The Orphan  
It's only been a few months since I've been able to leave my chambers with no permission. Finally I can explore the world outside this brothel, or rather the block outside this brothel.

It was early morning, none of the others were awake when I got up to explore. I tended to practice sneaking around, pretending that I am not just a whore in training but an assassin, a warrior from the Hidden Isles, like from the bedtime stories Selyse used to read to me at night.

I was one of the only girls she took the time to teach to read. She told me that men like smart women, but never too smart. So I could read, write, even do basic arithmetic, but she also taught me how to do it for show. How to excite a man with big words and slyly slide facts into a conversation.

Some of the girls were jealous. They’d tease me every chance they got. On my skin, my hair, how unfair it was a ‘savage’ like me was taught to read. Not even the Acirassi girls would help me. It was tiring, but i worried not for the tedious things they’d sneer at my face.

Death would come to them all eventually. That was the one thing I learned without her.

Selyse had taught me everything else I know, including how to make love. She says a respectable pleasure girl should always make love, not fuck.

I always knew why she taught me these things: to make a profit. I was a commodity. An exotic little thing men would love to get their paws on. But she wasn't all bad, she had morals as well. She never let any girl who hadn't bleed yet work. She soothed me when I had nightmares, when i was at my most frustrating to handle. I would be inconsolable. She also paid a fair amount to the ones who did and was as kind as greedy.

It was a shame she would die the way she would.

I jumped off the box I climbed on, squishing a ruby red rose in the process. I heard the clacking of expensive boots hit the copper stones. I've lived here all my life, yet the sight of the glistening wet, copper stones made me shiver. They were still beautiful after all this time, and if the history Selyse told me was right, that would be a thousand years.

I peeked around the building, I cursed under my breath as my sandal got caught behind the corner as I tried to tip-toe a bit further, to get a better look.

It was a man. Of course it was man, I self-patronaged. I guess he heard me trip, for he stopped. He pulled down his hood and stared at my direction. He looked mean.

I’d seen him before. Years ago, the last time I snuck out of my chambers while the others were working. I heard the girls giggles and argue about who would have him. I didn’t understand then, but now I do. No matter how serious looking, he was handsome, very much so.

Selyse had stopped them all however and told them she would have him for herself. That was the first time i saw Selyse do a job herself.

She went back out to the vestibule; you could see her through the thin, miniature columns holding up the ceiling from on top of the copper stoned knee wall, lead him to the best room they had. With the biggest bed and the feathered pillows, with burgundy sheets from Aciras. It was the warmest room. Just thinking about it made me feel happy. During closed hours, I'd sneak out of my shared room and sit by the huge fireplace framed in auburn wood, alone.

He looked lighter than he had, when he was younger, less off edge. He looked more comfortable, more confident. Last time I saw him, his shoulders were tense and his eyes would dart, seemingly trying take everything in.

I could remember thinking his eyes were the darkest shade of green, like the leaves that dangled off the golden trees and they still were, yet they were different. His skin was almost white, like the color of clouds in a blue sky, but it fit him well. Now it had a bit of color, like a regular Westphalian. He was tall too, he had been tall back then, but now it seemed his head would hit the top of the door. ‘Okay,’ I thought, maybe I was exaggerating that last part.

I then began to look even higher. "Stories", I called them. It made the experience seem happier, like a story parents would tell their children before bed.

What?!

Normally there would be a time, a place, a how. Now? It just said “immortal”.

The only normal thing was that I could actually see his story: whatever someone had done in the past to lead them to this day or to their death.

It all came in flash, but the one thing that was clearly made out was his heritage. It forced me to run back inside. He was an actual Hidden Islander, in the flesh. Only he had called it something else: its real name.

If only I had this power sooner, if i’d known I would’ve asked him to carry me away and take me on an adventure, teach me how to fight, to stay with me.

The Assassin  
As I entered, the white light of the morning sun was exchanged for a dim red light. Lewd paintings and tapestries lined the walls, while detailed woolen rugs, probably from Aciras, depicted roses of white and red.

This was an establishment for the more affluent of men and women. Selyse, the owner of said establishment made her way toward me. She was lightly clad in silk and her face was bare from any tints. She hasn't started working yet.

“Ah, Damian. Back again I see?,” she called me by the name I gave her when we first meet. Maybe it was shame that led me to wear that hood, it was definitely shame when I first introduced myself to her.

“Hello Selyse, it’s been a while hasn't it?,” I look her in the eye, the first women i've slept with. “Three weeks to be exact. Too busy with that trading company you work with? You know what, doesn't matter child, come here”. Oh how i've missed her, you could almost say she was a friend, if i hadn't been lying to her.  
“You were counting then, Selyse.”

“Of course dear, the girls love you, say you’re the most handsome man in the city, in exception to the King of course.”

“Of course”.

“Although, they do inquire on why you don't yet have a permanent lover-” oh no, “-they wonder if you cheat. I told them you’re too honorable for such things and yet...” just look her in the eye and act as innocent as possible, “-why do you come here Damian? You are handsome, smart, and honorable… maybe a bit rough around the edges. Still, why do you come here as often as you do, or well as you did?”

We began to walk deeper into the brothel.

My voice trailed, “You see..”, please don’t ruin this relationship, “I am very busy and-”, I received a very harsh look. I sighed, “I am more rough around the edges than you think, Selyse. I-”, a movement caught my eye.

The boy.

“You- boy. Wha-”, he then ran behind Selyse, “Damian, whatever do you mean? She is a girl.”

A girl?

I could see it now, up close. I guess I was blinded by the light and tricked by the clothes. She was most definitely a girl. I looked down at her, her onyx eyes stared up at me, it was startling. Her eyes were rather large too, staring up with as much confidence as she could’ve mustered, if I were to guess.

“She works here?!” I winced, that was maybe a little too loud.

In a more hushed tone I said, “She works here? She is but what- ten?-”, “-Thirteen”. “Thirteen?! She certainly does not look thirteen and why does she wear such a dirty dress Selyse?”.

“To make her less appealing to customers with a taste for children. It certainly worked on you?”, she smirked. Oh, how unfair. “I have no taste for children… it was just her skin that surprised me. Is she… is she safe here like this?”.

“Well that is her charm, darling. And she’s been here since she was a babe, she is safe here.” How come i’ve never seen her?

“Does she like it here?” I glanced further down at the ebony girl, she shook her head as soft as she could.

“Damian. Why do you care? You are not honor bound to every person you come upon”. As a matter of fact, I was. I was the hand of the king, but she didn’t know that. “Yes, of course… how much?”

“To bed her?”.

“No. To buy her”.

The Orphan  
He was inside now. I was small enough to hide behind the knee wall, as they were still in the vestibule, so i could still hear them. This was exciting for me. I felt like a spy, like I was knight on a secret mission.

I raised my chin and slowed my breath. Even if i could see nothing from behind the wall, my eyes looked to the opening between the two knee walls, watching it as if it was a foe who would walk in, and not my mentor and a handsome, secret Hidden Islander.

So his name was Damian, I guess it fit him?

He worked for a trading company? Maybe that's how he got here from the Hidden Isles.

They kept talking about useless things, about love and lovers or whatever, when I heard them walk toward the opening between the knee walls. If they looked even a bit to their left they would see me: kneeling, dirtied from the climbing and hiding, with a guilty look in my face.

I tried to move away without making a sound, yet, "You- boy. Wha-”, he exclaimed, probably waking the others only a short walk away.

Instinctively, I ran behind Selyse, barely registering what he called me. Boy? He thought I was a boy?! Am i truly that ugly? Or did Selyse’s “disguise” work quite a bit too well?

I stared up at him, daring him to say anything more that could hurt me. I clenched my teeth and let go of the back of Selye's silk dress and let my hands swing free by my sides.

When she’d told the man-Damian-that i was a girl, i could see the recognition in his eyes, but not the desire she had warned me about. Was that a lie, maybe i should not take everything she says so literally? Surely, when “every man” would want their paws on me, that meant most.

So then this man is good?

Or just different? He seemed different, or was that just because he was a Hidden Islander?

He seemed outraged that I was here, did he hate my skin like all the others or something even worse. Instead he was outraged at Selyse because i was so young, did he not understand the ways of a brothel?

He asked Selyse if i liked it here but he looked at me instead. Maybe he is different in a good way. I shook my head softly, as to not alert Selyse.

Then he asked how much. I was shocked… and intrigued. Selyse was right then… all men wanted was to fuck me.

Then he declined her offer. What was he doing? What was he planning?

He wanted to buy me…

I didn't know what to think about it. If this man was immortal, that must mean he’s worth risking it, going with him. Death would never come for this man. He might even know something about my… condition. He could bring me outside this damned brothel and into the world… or rape and abuse me…

But it seemed if I wasn't willing to take the risk of it all, I wasn't going to go on this adventure.

The Assassin  
She now wears a cloak of black, as black as her short locks. We make our way up to the palace, through the stone buildings and past the marble columns. Our walk is long and quiet, only filled with the sound of one hesitant “thank you” when I bought her that cloak, but that was long ago.

She seemed to use all of her energy for looking and gasping at every new thing she saw. Was she ever let out of that brothel?

She reminded me of who I could've been if I came to this land in a different way, as a different person.

When I first went to the Layflower, I came in search for some semblance of human affection and you could say that's what I got, but now i am in over my head. This time I came back with only a child who can barely whisper a word. Maybe I am cursed.

"Why did you buy me? And for so much too, why?", that's the most I've ever heard her speak, albeit I've only known her for a couple of hours. She stared up at me in defiance, she looked different from the meek girl I saw hiding behind Selyse. She had the grace of a warrior, I would know.

"Because a child as special as you would be abused in a place like that. When you'd be of age to work there, you would not be treated like your Westphalian… coworkers," I made an effort to look at the skin on the back of her hand and then straight into her eyes, "you would have suffered, but you already knew this".

She nodded, "Thank you," she looked down, clutching at the cloak a little tighter to her small frame, "I am in debt to you ser. Will I be traveling with you on your cargo ships?".

Cargo ships? Oh, she overheard my conversation with Selyse, smart girl.

"I am no ser, but no, you will not be traveling on ships. You will be doing something much more mundane, I'm afraid."

"What ever could that be… Damia-,"

"-Nero," I said as straight faced as I could, a small smirk would probably be off putting.

"Nero? I thought your name was Damian,"

"An alias for security-"

"-Security? Why would a trader need security?"

"You are a talker, did you know that? And where did you find all of this courage all of the sudden? If you give me the chance, I will surely tell you everything," first she talks too little and now she talks too much, the elders were right: I am definitely cursed.

Yet she grabbed my hand in some sort of yes. They were small and cold and rough at the palms. She looked me in the eye, but she spoke no more.

"You will be one of the Queen's maids," she squeezed my hand and her eyes bulged to the size of plums. "I am Nero Vallum, Hand of Adrien Caelum third of his name, King of Westphalia and we are going home."

She grabbed my other hand, her palms trembling, "Truly Nero? Please do not jest on this day."

I knelt down, letting go of her hands and settling them on her shoulders, "I swear I do not jest…?"

"Zephyrine, but you can call me Zeph, Nero," she smiled at me, eyes turning into crescents and I knew then, that I could never be cursed.

I stood, and she grasped for my large hand with her small one and motioned for me to lead the way with the other. It was good I knew the roads well, for I vowed I would never lead Zeph astray.

We were finally nearing where the city meets the beach when she asked me a question I would never forget, "you are a Hidden Islander, are you not?".

I flinched, unintentionally tightening my hold on her hand. She gasped and I loosened my hold, "No". I sighed, knowing that I'd frightened her, "I apologize, but do not ever bring this up until my say, do you understand?". She nodded once again, leaving me to my own inquiries on the matter.

I remember her staring at me behind the brothel. Did she know then too? Not even Theo knew, only the king. She looked up at me again, a strange look on her face, then she looked higher, right on top of my head. I shook my head out of instinct, my hair lightly whipping into my face, “is there something on my head?”

“Yes”.

“It’s still there? What is it?”.

She shook her head and looked down… she didn’t say.

The Orphan  
I didn't know what to say. Is he my saviour? Is he my reckoning? He didn't speak much either. He seemed very serious, very straight to the point. He said a firm "Your welcome" to my "Thank you" when he bought me this cloak.

This cloak. It was now the most expensive thing she'd ever owned. She was going to insist that she was fine without but she couldn't bring herself to do it. She really wanted that cloak.

It was so dark, dark as her hair, but not only that-it was velvet. Soft and smooth and it shined in the light of the white sun.

We must have made quite the sight, though. A tall man and a small girl, each in a black hood, height in heads of each other, walking through the small alleys of the city. That should've been a warning sign, why didn't we walk on the main streets, why were we wearing cloaks, why did we have to walk so damn fast?

I was just too excited. Too caught up with the new sights and sounds and smells. Everything was a new experience. There was an animated man bargaining for a simple bag of, what looked like, turnips. But we moved through another alley before I could see the rest.

There was a mother and child playing with dice. They were smiling and laughing, the small boy looked up at his mother with awe. That must've been fun.

Then a restaurant with what looked like Acirassi food. I've never truly known where I come from. I've always had an inkling, a suspicion that I came from Aciras, no matter how dark I was. The smells were amazing and the food looked even better.

I told myself if I died now, at least i would've gotten to see this. My death would probably be amazing too, since he was a Hidden Islander warrior.

'Oh nice defence mechanism Zeph,' I told myself. Let's make a joke out of everything to cope.

Maybe I was okay with dying in this moment, it would be a very nice moment to do it in, as a matter of fact.

The man- Damian was his name- sighed next to me. I thought about what happened in the brothel. It seemed, for a a trading company worker, he was well endowed… in terms of money.

He bought me for ninety-five thousand golden drachmas. That was almost twenty, one hour sessions with our brothels best- that brothels best.

Not to mention this cloak I loved so much. It was worth loads, Seven thousand bronze drachma for the smallest size they had.

I didn't even really own anything till this cloak. I guess you could say this tunic, my sandals, and my favorite scroll, which I couldn't take with me.

Why would he even spend that much on me anyways? If he was just a trader, why would he waste his money on a girl based on the fact that I didn't like it their. I was just a dirty, apparently boy looking child.

"Why did you buy me? And for so much too, why?", I asked. It was something i truly had to know.

His answer gave light to part of who he was. He was kind yet awkward. He also seemed sincere in his worry for me. And he was aware of what my skin meant, he wanted to protect me against it.

“Thank you," I looked down. I didn’t know what to make of the situation. I clutched at the cloak a little tighter to my body, feeling insecure, "I am in debt to you ser. Will I be traveling with you on your cargo ships?".

"I am no ser, but no, you will not be traveling on ships. You will be doing something much more mundane, I'm afraid." What else could a trader being doing? Maybe I was more uneducated than I had previously thought.

"What ever could that be… Damia-," thinking if not a ser, then surely calling him by his first name was the best alternative.

"-Nero," he interrupted.

Hm?

"Nero? I thought your name was Damian," Why did he tell Selyse his name is Damian?

He told me it was for security, but that made no sense.

"-Security? Why would a trader need security?"

"You are a talker, did you know that? And where did you find all of this courage all of the sudden? If you give me the chance, I will surely tell you everything.” He looked grumpy, exasperated. ‘Alright’, I’ll let him say his share.

I didn't want to sound too haughty. I knew if I spoke I would probably make a fool of myself in some way or the other. So instead I took a hold of his hand and squeezed.

Then he started talking, and my heart almost stopped.

"You will be one of the Queen's maids," I didn't know what to do with all this extra energy I had, so I tightened my hold on his hand, at the very least to steady myself.

Was he lying, was he playing a trick on me?

He then continued on, "I am Nero Vallum, Hand of Adrien Caelum third of his name, King of Westphalia and we are going home."

Home?

I'd never had someplace I considered home, I've lived at that brothel for thirteen years but I knew that was not what a home felt like.

Maybe that's what I wanted: a home. I grabbed his other hand, I could feel how bad my palms were trembling, "Truly Nero? Please do not jest on this day."

He knelt down in front of me, eye level a bit lower than mine now. He let go of my hands and placed them on my shoulders, "I swear I do not jest…?" Oh, my name, he didn't know my name.

"Zephyrine, but you can call me Zeph," maybe a bit of cheekiness will brighten up his mode, "Nero," I smiled. And I saw a sparkle in his eye that wasn't there before. I hope he was not lying, for this would be the perfect day if he wasn't.

I grasped for his large hand with my not surprisingly smaller one. He looked down, one side of his mouth lifted up. He looked nicer like this, he looked nicer, happy.

I was about to walk but realized I didn't know the way, so I motioned for him to lead me to the Royal Palace, a place I've never seen before.

We were going further away from the bustling shops and packed housing, away from all the possible extra ears, when I asked him the one thing that had been bugging me all day. I asked him a question, "you are a Hidden Islander, are you not?".

He stopped and flinched, tightening his hold on my hand. I gasped involuntarily and he loosened his hold. I suddenly realized how much I missed the warmth of hand around mine. I knew, I understood why he didn't anyone to know, but I still felt betrayed when said, "No".

In all reality, I felt shocked at his blatant lie, he seemed honorable, even Selyse said he was. Why was he lying to me?

"I apologize, but do not ever bring this up until my say, do you understand?". I looked down and nodded. Maybe he had family to protect, after all I didn't know the Hidden Isles were real until today.

Then I remind myself to stop rationalizing everything to stay sane, to stay comfortable.

I looked up at him again, his dark green eyes turning a bit lighter, as if they changed with his mood. Then I looked up higher, right to where his story was. It still said immortal.

He shook his head, aware of where my stare was directed, his hair lightly whipping into his face, in a sort of mesmerizing manner, “is there something on my head?”

“Yes”, why did I say that, i chastised myself.

“It’s still there? What is it?”

A mystery.

I shook my head and looked down, he could never know, no one could.

The Assassin  
I could finally see the cove near the side of Vall Palace.  
I never left or entered through the front gate. I memorized all the "secret" passage ways when I had to come here.

I spotted my personal guard waiting for me on the cove. The beaches were white wherever you went in Westphalia, but the cave was a striking shade of copper, like the roads, roofs, and almost everything in this city.

The golden vines stretched across the the cave leading into the palace and wrapped around neighboring trees in a collage of gold and green. And just inside of the cave was Theo.

Theo was a good friend and an even better fighter, of course not as good as me, but he didn't know that.

I smiled to him, "Theo, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not one bit, just got here, in fact- who's this?", pointing his chin at Zeph next to me, arms folded over his chest.

"The Queen’s new chambermaid," I said. I let go of her hand and silently asked for permission. I gently pulled down her hood. “Zeph,” I extended my arm in a welcoming motion, “this is my personal guard, Theo”.

His inhale was audible, the usually goofy guard looked at me with a deadly calm, then exploded. "You brought a child-whore to the palace Nero! I can condone keeping it in the city, but you have just possibly caused a breach in our security! Her skin Nero… why… where did you find such a thing-"

"-I am no common whore and I am no thing. I have never been touched and my skin is of no concern to you. Doesn't Nero outrank you-"

"oh so it's Nero now. You let her call you Nero?-"

"-so as his subordinate you have no right to judge his actions!" She looked furious. Her hair looked two times bigger and if you looked close enough, you could almost see the blood rushing to her cheeks. Her hands were balled into fists neatly by her sides.

I looked up at Theo and shrugged, not a curse at all. Though, what was query was she kept glancing at the top of Theo's head, but I had to stop my thought in order answer Theo.

"I see you like them young and feisty then Nero," he chortled.

I sighed. "Laugh all you want Theo, I did this to protect a citizen of this country. The country you and I serve".

He sobered and grunted in response.

I could sense Zeph fidget beside me as we made our way down the cave and into Vall. I put a hand on her forearm, stopping her from walking any further. I knelt down, pulled up her hood and tightened the strings keeping the cloak together, “I will vouch for you, worry not child.”

“I am no child,” she placed her hands on the sides of my face, squeezed my cheeks and giggled. I placed my hands gently on the sides of her face, “Selyse has told me you have yet to bleed, if not a child, if not a woman… what are you?”

“Then I am a Zephyrine, ” her eyebrow raised and a smirk on her lips.

My deep chuckle echoed across the cavern walls. I stand and take a step back, “my mistake Lady Zeph. I meant no offence,“ I mock bow. She then proceeds to hit me, laughing in response. This is nice. “Oi lovebirds,” Theo’s imagination is truly a thing of wonder. Zeph surely took it to heart, for she looked angry at the accusation, “ hurry your asses up. You're the one on a schedule here Nero,” Theo reminded me.

“Just do your job Theo, you know how much the king loves me”. Theo shrugged, a smirk on his face, “oh, I know”.

I make sure to keep my distance, but I bow again, “my lady”, and she walks right on ahead with as much grace as a ‘Zephyrine’ could. But then I think: maybe every girl should be a Zephyrine…

The Orphan  
We walked on the beach. The sand was blindingly white, just a bit whiter than Nero’s skin when i first saw him. There was a cave in the distance. The cave itself was copper, but from afar it looked golden from the surrounding vines and branches.

I could see those trees of gold all around the city, I’ve been seeing them since birth. It was the sea that took my breath away. Even with the large hood atop my head, obscuring a bit of my sight, it shined and moved with such beauty and grace.

That is what freedom looked like, blue green waters moving at their own pace, at their own time. You could sail on the sea and go anywhere you wished, it seemed unreal.

How ever much i loved the sea, there was a voice telling me that it was not where i belonged, and it saddened me, because it was true.

While i was staring at the sea, I didn’t notice there was a man standing in the cave. He was smirking, a gleam in his eyes. He looked strong, he was shorter than Nero, but he made up for it with his very wide shoulders and huge muscles. Plus, he carried a two swords on his belt.

I looked up to see Nero smile at him. He must be nice, "Theo, I hope I didn't keep you waiting too long."

"Not one bit, just got here, in fact- who's this?", pointing his chin at me, arms folded over his chest. He looked different from the smirking man only a few moments ago. His eyebrows drew down close to his eyes in a glare and his smirk transformed into a frown.

"The Queen’s new chambermaid," Nero answered. His warm, large hand let go of my own and he silently asked me for the permission to take down my hood and reveal myself, skin and all. He gently pulled down my hood, as if he could ever intentionally hurt me.

“Zeph,” he extended his arm in a welcoming motion, “this is my personal guard, Theo”.

The man’s-Theo, he called himself-inhale was audible, the large man looked at Nero with a deadly calm, then exploded. "You brought a child-whore to the palace Nero! I can condone keeping it in the city, but you have just possibly caused a breach in our security! Her skin Nero… why… where did you find such a thing-"

The gall of this- this man to call me a child and a whore and a thing. He spoke to Nero like he was the king, but Nero protected me from my future, I had to protect him. We help each other, this relationship would go both ways. And the way he looked at my skin, as if i had some disease, "-I am no common whore and I am no thing. I have never been touched and my skin is of no concern to you. Doesn't Nero outrank you-"

"-oh so it's Nero now. You let her call you Nero?-", of course it’s Nero now!

"-so as his subordinate you have no right to judge his actions!" I was furious. I probably looked crazy. My hands were balled into fists so tight i could my fingernails dig into my skin.

He just rubbed me the wrong way, i didn’t care to look at his past, just his future, his demise.

I kept staring into his eyes, then his story, challenging him to continue this argument. He would not die the same man, I let some of my anger go.

"I see you like them young and feisty then Nero," he chortled, then some of my anger came back.

Nero sighed beside me. "Laugh all you want Theo, I did this to protect a citizen of this country. The country you and I serve". He said that, no grin on his face, no smile in his eyes. As serious and firm as when i saw him this morning. I brought my hands together, playing with them.

I was nervous? I could feel the heat climb up my neck, onto my cheeks, my palms and body began to sweat, almost like the cloak became ten times thicker.

Nero put a hand on my forearm, stopping me from walking any further. I could hear my heartbeat, i felt like he could hear it too. He knelt down, pulled up my hood and tightened the strings keeping my cloak together. I stopped to stare at him, his eyes were the green of the sea now, freedom and adventure.

“I will vouch for you, worry not child.” I am not worried, I was not sure why I was acting this way? Then I felt the irritation rise in my head, I could feel my top lip curl and my nose crinkle. I am no child.

“I am no child”.

I placed my small hands on the thin hollows of cheeks, squeezing them, who was the child now?

Oh- I realized, looking at the way my small hands made his face look like a fish. I am the child…

I couldn’t stop the giggles that were trying so hard to escape.

He placed his hands gently on the sides of my face. And thanked the gods for it, it would hide the slight blush you could see through my dark cheeks. How could a man so serious and menacing be so kind and gentle?

“Selyse has told me you have yet to bleed, if not a child, if not a woman… what are you?” Yes. What am I? What am I to him?

“Then I am a Zephyrine, ” I raised my eyebrow and smirked, feeling that I had been the wittiest person alive.

His deep chuckle echoed across the cavern walls. I had made him laugh, i felt pride rise in my chest. He stood and I grew nervous once more, was he laughing at me? “My mistake Lady Zeph. I meant no offence,“ he mock bowed.

Oh? He means to jest, does he? Feeling a bit of embarrassment, I hit him, laughing the most I’ve laughed in months.

This is… nice.

“Oi lovebirds,” ruining the nice moment. I grew irritated once more. Who does this man really think he is? To insinuate that i would like this man… or that he would like me. None of the others words exchanged between the two would be heard. I was still angry and, ofcourse, embarrassed.

Much to my discontent, he slowly backed away, but then he bowed again, “my lady”, he almost whispered, like a secret between the two of us. I walk ahead of him, truly feeling like a lady-respectable, for the first time in my life.

With a secret smile I continued to follow Theo, feeling Nero’s eyes on me.

**Author's Note:**

> This is an original and my first time publishing something I wrote... I really hope you like it.


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